Where does “snailshell” come from?

snailshell (English) comes from English Shell, from Middle English schelle, from Old English sċiell, from Proto-West Germanic skallju, from Proto-Germanic skaljō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kelH-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kel- — to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,...

snailshell (English): The shell of a snail

Definitions

  1. The shell of a snail

Ancestry of “snailshell”, step by step

snailshell traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Shell

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishShellA diminutive of the female given name Michelle or Shelly
2Middle Englishschelle—
3Old Englishsċiellshell
4Proto-West Germanicskalljuscale; shell
5Proto-Germanicskaljōshell; husk; rind; peel
6Proto-Indo-European(s)kelH-to cut; to split, to separate
7Proto-Indo-European(s)kel-to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,...

via English snail

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsnailAny of very many animals (either hermaphroditic or nonhermaphroditic), of the class Gastropoda, having a coiled shell
2Middle EnglishsnaylA snail or slug; a gastropod
3Old Englishsneġela snail or slug, a gastropod
4Proto-Germanicsnagilazsnail
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kel- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kelH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic skaljō →